It doesn't cease to amaze me that every time we are in Jo-Ann's, the children's Singer Sewing Machine gets thrown in the cart by my 3-year-old daughter. I've read reviews of these machines that aren't so great. Does anyone know of any other cost effective machines that might be good for a smart little aspiring quilter?

get one of the cheaper brothers machine have three different brother machine and love them all

Find a full sized machine that is easy to thread and has maybe just a straight stitch and a zigzag. Keep an eye out for sales and you may get one for under a hundred.

Let your daughter put some decals on it to make it more girlie!

I got a really small Janome for my 10 year old granddaughter, and she loves it.

WOW - I was about to say that I would never purchase a children's machine until I saw that your daughter was 3yo. I might be interested in one of the chain stitch machines for a child that young.

I like the Brother CSI 6000 - inexpensive and light weight as well as a decent little machine but I have never worked with a child that young. My DD was about 7 when she really started on my Viking 6370 and is still sewing now 25 years later (on that machine-lol).

What a great thing to share with your young daughter - good luck!!

Start her out on one of the children's sewing machines and teach her the safety rules of sewing...
I started my dgd out with HAND sewing... she had to make a tote bag... (age 4)
Then I bought her a children's sewing machine and she sewed another tote bag to learn her machine (age 4 yrs 10 mos) and then she made a pair of shorts. These machines sew much slower than even the machines with a low gear.
My neighbor was throwing away a Signature (Montgomery Wards) machine that works perfectly with all the feet. She sews on that one now (she's 11).

Brother is selling some really good ones quite cheaply. (You may find you like it for yourself...)

At 3 years I had my grandkids in my lap and they guided blocks through the machine while I controlled the foot pedal, I also have slow speed on my machine. By 5 they could sit by themselves and make things.

Try the Janome Mini. Usually you can find it on sale at Hancock's for around $30 dollars. Regular price is about $55. I have one that I use to take with me to classes and such. It is a tought little machine. It makes a beautiful stitch and it very quiet and light weight. I have now bought three of them as gifts for kids - ages 6, 8 and 12. And the quilts that I am making with the neighbors' kids, this is the machine that they are using, with my help as they are all 3. I have had my Baby Jan for almost 2 years and have it serviced about twice and year and have had NO problems with it at all.